LOS ANGELES -- The punishment may not have fit the crime. But it probably fit Raffi Torres.

His suspension for the rest of the Sharks' playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings was slightly stunning. Two games seemed the most lenient outcome and four games the most severe possibility, but this could be six. Yet when you consider Torres' track record of previous violations and suspensions, he is in no position to argue. Neither are the Sharks. They signed him knowing this could happen.

And now, the stark truth is that Torres may not ever pull on a San Jose Sharks sweater again. If Los Angeles wins the series, Torres will play no more this season. And on July 1, he becomes an unrestricted free agent, eligible to sign a contract with any NHL team. Doug Wilson, the Sharks' general manager, had expressed interest in offering Torres a multi-year deal before the free agent signing period begins. It's uncertain how the suspension will affect those plans.

Torres was not here Thursday night at Staples Center. After receiving his suspension that will eliminate him from the rest of the Sharks playoff series against the Kings, he and Wilson flew directly back to San Jose from their punishment hearing with NHL officials in New York. He'll join his teammates there when they return from Southern California for Game 3 and Game 4 at HP Pavilion. But he can only skate and stay ready for a potential trip to the Western Conference Finals, if the Sharks can beat the Kings.

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His absence will make that task markedly more difficult. When he joined the San Jose roster early last month via trade, he was expected to provide a hard-hitting presence and energy on the third or fourth lines. But he became a valuable part of the team's offense and contributed some key goals in the closing stretch of the regular season as well as the winning goal in Game 2 against Vancouver in the first round. Martin Havlat's injury had placed Torres alongside Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau on the Sharks' top scoring line.

Theoretically, the Kings will be hurt just as much by the absence of centerman Jarret Stoll, the player who Torres knocked out of Game 1 with his open-ice check. Stoll sustained a likely concussion and did not dress for Thursday's Game 2. Word is, he'll be out at least for the first four games and perhaps longer. Stoll is Los Angeles' third line centerman, a good faceoff man. He entered the series with the most playoff points scored against the Sharks of any player on the Kings' roster.

Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter minced no words in saying that in terms of the Stoll-Torres missing-games tradeoff, Stoll "was quite a bit more important to us than theirs." But the lack of Torres' physicality on the ice, which seemed to lift the Sharks' general intensity level, is difficult to quantify. The rest of the series should give us a read on that.

And whenever their playoff run is complete, Wilson and Shark management have a decision to make. Do they want to re-sign Torres for all the excellent stuff he did, for the way he contained his worst tendencies to become such an important player? Or do they want to risk that, knowing any step over the line is bound to receive more severe suspensions than for the average player? Cynically, you could probably say Torres' latest suspension will make him cheaper to sign for upcoming seasons. But that should not be the primary concern. The primary concern should be whether you will have Torres for 82 games a season rather than 50 or 60 because of potential suspensions.

Joe Pavelski, one of Torres' Shark teammates, said Thursday morning that he was convinced Torres was trying to keep his hit legal against Stoll in Game 1, but the speed of hockey -- Stoll leaned over to collect a puck with his hand and put his head in a vulnerable position just as Torres approached-- turned the hit into an illegal one. Torres never launched himself or went directly for Stoll's chin. If Torres had really wanted to damage Stoll badly, the hit could have been much harder. But should that earn Torres any consideration at all?

Barry Melrose, the ESPN hockey analyst, complimented Torres on the way he attempted to reform his game following a 21-game suspension for a bad hit in last spring's playoff. That doesn't mean Torres will receive a break from the league office moving ahead, Melrose said after Thursday's suspension was announced.

"He had an effective year," Melrose said. "But he can't do this any more. He can't put himself in that position any more. Because he's going to be suspended when it happens. Because if he hits somebody, he's guilty."

Torres has earned the respect and support of his Shark teammates during his brief time with the team. Will he get to play with them again this spring? Or next season? The answer to the first question could provide the answer to the second question.